Vengeance in his bed

Episode 5

I hummed my favorite song as I sipped a glass of water. I was settling into my new workspace just fine. It had been a few days since the coffee incident, and surprisingly, I was getting used to heels.

I stood in Ryan’s office while he wrapped up a business call.

My eyes wandered from his brows to his lips, shamelessly admiring the perfection of his face. The way his mouth moved, the slight twitch of his lips, the calm blink of his eyes… Honestly, I could stare all day.

He looked up.

I flipped my head down at my iPad, pretending to be busy.

“Nice talking to you, Mr. Frank. I’ll review the offer and get back to you.” Ryan ended the call before settling his gaze on me.

“Uhm… you have a Zoom meeting with H&M by 3PM and…” I paused.

My heartbeat increased instantly.

My entire notepad was a mess.

Wrong schedules. Wrong time. Wrong locations.

Someone had definitely tampered with this.

Linda.

It had to be her.

I had left my iPad unlocked earlier when I went to the bathroom. More than enough time for her sneaky witchcraft.

“Any problem?” Ryan asked, studying me carefully.

I swallowed dryly, the office feeling too warm

My hand slipped into my back pocket and I sighed in relief when I felt my small jotter.

Thank God.

I always wrote down Ryan’s schedule the night before.

Back when I worked at the bakery, I used to jot down the pastries I’d make the next day. Now it was meetings, events, and rich-people activities.

“I’m sorry, I think my iPad is acting up,” I said calmly. “You also have a dinner party with the Elites by 8PM at the Harrison private residence.”

Ryan looked up immediately. “Oh. That’s today?”

The Elites were basically a gathering of the richest and most influential people alive. Politicians, billionaires, media owners, tech gods… people that could probably buy countries for fun.

Media houses fought every year just to catch blurry pictures from outside the gates.

“You should leave after the Zoom meeting and get some rest before the event,” I suggested while mentally planning Linda’s funeral.

“You should too.”

I blinked. “Me?”

“Of course. You’re coming with me.” His tone left absolutely no room for argument.

“But…”

One raised brow from him shut me up immediately. “Okay, sir.”

Besides… this could bring me closer to my mission. Maybe his murderous father would show up tonight, who knows ?

I almost bumped into Linda as I stepped outside the office.

“He must’ve given you a hard time. Let me help,” she rushed.

A smirk slowly spread across my lips.

Interesting.

I leaned against the door casually.

“Help with…?” I asked innocently and watched her freeze for half a second.

“Oh… I thought I heard yelling. I guess I was mistaken.”

“I guess so too,” I replied with a fake sweet smile. “Thanks for being so concerned.”

Confusion flashed across her face when she realized her little plan failed.

She nodded awkwardly before walking away.

I almost laughed. Wrapped in human skin but moving like a frustrated raccoon.

I wrapped up work around the same time Ryan finished his Zoom meeting.

“You’re leaving early?” Linda asked the second she noticed me packing my bag.

“Yeah. Ry… Mr Ryan invited me to this dinner party.” I tried to sound casual, but the pride in my voice betrayed me badly.

“Huh? He invited you to the Elites party?”

“Yes,” I sighed dramatically. “No pressure at all. Just dinner with the most powerful people in the country.”

Her eyes widened.

I almost felt bad. Almost.

“I should go get ready. Bye.” I waved happily before escaping with the widest grin.

The moment I got outside, I searched my bag for my other phone and called Marco.

“Hey! How’s it going?” he answered after the second ring.

“I just got invited to the Elites dinner party. I need a killer dress.” There was silence for two seconds, then a laugh.

“You got invited to the Elites? I knew putting you on this mission was my best decision this year.”

Marco got the dress delivered right on time.

And honestly? The man deserved a national award.

The black dress hugged my body perfectly. It was long, elegant, with a slit that reached my mid-thigh. The off-shoulder design exposed just enough skin to look classy and dangerous at the same time.

“Perfect,” I whispered at my reflection.

My hair was packed into a neat bun, my makeup soft but sharp enough to make a statement. The diamond necklace Landon got me rested perfectly against my skin.

A text from Ryan popped up while I adjusted my earrings.

<Send me your address. I’m picking you up. I’ll be an hour late.

I rolled my eyes.

“Such arrogance. If you want to arrive late to such a big event, why involve innocent citizens like me?”

Still, I sent the address politely.

And true to his word…

His message arrived one hour later.

<I’m outside.

The message sent me jumping off the couch, I grabbed my purse and stepped outside.

I nearly forgot how to breathe when my eyes landed on him.

Ryan stood beside the car in a black tuxedo that looked illegally good on him. His tiny stud earring reflected the light, and his hair looked carelessly styled in the most attractive way possible.

Honestly, this man looked like expensive trouble.

His eyes slowly moved over me.

“You look… stunning.”

For a second, my brain stopped functioning.

“You too,” I replied softly, finally forcing my eyes away from him.

The drive to the event was painfully slow.

Not because of traffic, but because the driver seemed to be moving at the pace of a snail.

Sitting beside Ryan in the backseat felt weirdly suffocating.

Not bad suffocating.

Dangerously sweet suffocating.

Our eyes kept meeting every few minutes like shy teenagers.

And his perfume?

Gosh.

It kept drifting toward me like it had personal issues with my self-control.

“Shall we?”

Ryan stretched out his arm after we got out of the car

I slipped my hand into his and together, we walked into the hall.

The venue was massive.

Golden chandeliers hung from the high ceiling like glowing waterfalls. Soft music floated through the air while waiters moved around carrying expensive champagne like their lives depended on it.

The room sparkled with wealth.

Women dressed in diamonds, while men dressed in power.

Some guests laughed naturally in small groups while others stood silently with cold expressions that screamed danger.

Politicians, business tycoons, media giants.

Every corner of the room carried influence..

But somehow… Ryan still felt like the most dangerous person here.

Walking beside him felt like standing next to a beautifully dressed weapon.

The room slowly quieted the moment we stepped in.

Heads turned almost instantly and whispers followed. I knew exactly why.

Ryan Blackwood had arrived.

The room slowly returned to its conversations after our entrance, but I could still feel eyes following us, even as we took our seats at a round dinner table.

“Thank you,” I said, almost with surprise as Ryan pulled out a chair for me.

Honestly, this place was low key terrifying.

Everyone looked expensive and dangerous at the same time.

I leaned slightly toward Ryan.

“Why does everyone here look like they’ve either killed someone or they want to?” I whispered.

Ryan chuckled softly beside me. “How so?”

I discreetly glanced around the hall.

“Even with suits, that man over there definitely smokes hard drugs,” I muttered. “And that guy’s tattoo is really disturbing.”

Ryan laughed quietly this time.

A real laugh.

It almost distracted me from how unfairly attractive he looked tonight.

“You don’t like men with tattoos?” he asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Not that,” I replied quickly. “I mean, yours is actually cool. It’s different and—”

I stopped, watching the amusement in Ryan’s eyes increase.

I felt like slapping my mouth.

Ryan leaned closer slowly, his eyes locked on mine like he was enjoying every second of my suffering.

“I thought you didn’t remember that night.”

My breath caught instantly. And that stupid smirk on his face?

Oh, he was never letting this go.